How to Fix a Golf Shank Shot
Imagine you've just peppered a nice drive down the center of the fairway on the first hole of your favorite golf course. The inviting flag is right in front of you in plain site. You start thinking "this is going to be a great day"! You're feeling relaxed and all systems are go. A birdie or an easy par is all but written on your score card. You love this great game. So you address the ball, put a nice swing on it thinking about how short your putt will be, and...
Now you are going to have to scramble to save par or bogie. That's just great. There's also an old saying in golf "that the only shot worse than a shank is the next shot after the shank!" That has now become your reality, and in front of all your golf buddies and on lookers. If you don't know what cause the first shank, then there is a great chance it will happen again on your next swing. It's a defenseless feeling. Here's some help: Let's first define a shank shot in the event you may be new to the game or unclear on the term. A shank shot occurs when the ball impacts the shank or hosel of the club, instead of the club face. Because the hosel is round, a shanked ball can go just about anywhere, but it typically darts right (for the righty). The ball will often leave marks on the hosel which you can use to confirm just where impact is occurring. Golf shank shots can be particularly confusing because the shot before them may be perfect! The fact is that there can be various causes for the dreaded shank. The bottom line is that that hosel is whacking that ball and wreaking havoc on your scores and enjoyment. So because I can't see your swing, this report is going to show you how to get that ball back on the clubface so you can get through the round. It's like that that little spare tire in your car trunk. It will get you out of trouble so you can work on the bigger issue, and solve the problem permanently. That's my goal here. Let's first look at the physical dimensions of golf clubs and balls as that will remove some of the mystery of why the hosel is even in play during the swing. The chart below reveals some very startling dimensions:
The USGA requires that the diameter of the golf ball be no smaller than 1.680" (~1.70"). And if you look at the face of a typical iron, you'll see that the "useable" area of the club face (the length of the grooves) is about 2" (for a driver it is slightly bigger). So your task as a golfer becomes the seemingly incredible: Fit a 1.7" golf ball in the center of a 2" area of a club face moving between 50 and 130 mph depending on the chosen club and golfer! It's easy to see why shank shots occur for millions of recreational and even pros. Jim Furyk hit a viscous shank on the 18th hole at The Transitions Championship. Webb Simpson shanked his tee shot on the par 3 8th hole during his singles match on Sunday at the Ryder Cup. He went on to lose to Ian Poulter, fueling Europe's stunning comeback and victory. So It happens to the best golfers too (even a US Open champ like Simpson). Years ago I had an issue with an intermittent shank that appeared out of nowhere. I came up with a 3 pronged attack to address it mid round. And it works likes a charm. It would get me through the round. Then I would go fix the issue permanently at the practice range. Think of the acronym: "SET" S
= Stable
Let's look at each letter in more detail with the help of 5 time PGA tournament winner, Swede Carl Pettersson. On your next shot after a shank, take a deep breath and relax.
When you set up to the ball, especially after a shank shot, make sure you have relaxed shoulders and a comfortable extension of the lead arm (left for right handers). Remember, that arm will be moving out during the swing toward the ball . If you are cramped or inconsistent with that lead arm extension, it will straighten in the downswing and move that hosel closer to the ball (inviting a shank). Look at Carl, his arm is extended but not locked or tense. He looks like he can only hit great shots. In fact he shot a stunning 60 when he won the Canadian Open!
Since the hosel is contacting the ball during a shank, moving the hosel further away from the ball at the start is a good strategy. This can be used in combination with 1 and 2 above. Remember our club dimensions above, a fraction of an inch can be the difference between a direct center hit and a shank.
Remember, you don't know why you are shanking, you just know the hosel is contacting the ball. Changing their relationship at the address position will immediately affect the impact condition. That's our goal here; to improve contact, enjoy the round, and get onto the next hole with limited damage! What About Carl? Now you may have noticed that Carl's ball is located in the center of his club face at address. Carl's swing is free of compensations, so it returns there through impact, time and time again. He's also one of the best putters on Tour which helps produce those low, tournament winning rounds.
I mentioned that there are various causes of full swing shank shots. Some of these occur before the club is even taken away from the ball (stance and alignment), some occur at the top of the back swing, some occur in the transition and downswing all the way up to impact. In all, your only goal is to have that ball leaving the clubface when the face is pointing at the target. This can be hard to achieve, or it can be simple to achieve with the right information. A reliable, Tour Caliber golf swing has some very specific characteristics I have identified and simplified for 1000's of golfers worldwide. They are critical to a precise, Repeating Golf Swing. They are found in the golf swings of great players like Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory Mcilroy, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, etc... For instance, the top of the back swing position has a few simple elements. Get them right and all systems are on go for a solid strike through the back of that golf ball during impact. Then, at the start of the downswing, my trademark move, "The Key to a Repeating Golf Swing" takes over and delivers the club head right back through the ball with precision power and control. It is the star of the show. I can't play without it. In fact my discovery of The Key was the very catalyst for my whole career in the golf industry. It was also the sole factor that.. Took my scores from the 110's to the 70's after struggling for years with inconsistent ball striking and a stagnant handicap.
I'll show you exactly what I've shown over 10,000 golfers from 61 countries, many of whom broke 80 in their very next round after putting The Key into use. I have also added some great bonuses to my 2022 complete package. In all my years of playing golf, I have concluded that a golfer can not break 80 without a repeating golf swing. It does not have to be perfect, but it must be reproducible. When a repeating swing takes form, a whole new level of satisfaction results as the golfer is now able to play the game the way it was intended. In 2020, I introduced the 7th edition of "The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing" to the golf world and the response has been incredible. I invested many hours and dollars getting everything up to my standards and I couldn't be more pleased with the final results:
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Let me show you exactly how to deliver the club head right back through the ball at impact with tremendous power and control. Thousands of golfers, from beginners to scratch players, have put The Key to work in their games and the results have been astounding (over 250 testimonials on file). In fact, the following is a note typical of the type that hit my inbox all week. It is genuine and unsolicited:
Same day, dramatic improvement... Nice going Peter. I get notes like these all the time. It doesn't matter whether you are trying to break 105 or 70, the rate of improvement is typically rapid once the "bad data" is stripped from a golfer, and The Key to a repeating golf swing can begin working its magic. My Six (6) part instructional package comes in a Digital Version (Instant Download) or Hardcopy Version (worldwide shipping - same price)! Here's
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by
Robert Cotter 
SHANK!.. the ball
darts dead right (or left if you're a lefty). The shocking,
maddening, even sickening feeling sets in as your ball has
advanced only 30 yards into the rough or behind a tree.
Stable As
you address your next shot, be conscious of the feeling in your
feet. Rocking forward and backwards towards the balls and heels
of the feet while looking at the club head will give you incredible
feedback on how balance affects the alignment of the
center of the clubface with the center of the ball. Now
settle in to a stable, balanced position with a comfortable distribution
of weight between the balls and heels like Carl.
Extension As
you swing, a centrifugal force is experienced that forces the
arms away from the center of rotation. In essence, this
force causes the arms and swing arc to "grow" towards
the ball. This will immediately move the hosel of the club
closer to the ball!
Toe The
final part of SET is
illustrated below. If you are shanking, addressing the ball closer
to the toe of the club can immediately cure a shank. 
Addressing
the ball more off the toe can result in a dead center strike
for a golfer that is stuck in a shank pattern as the "growing" swing
arc will align the center of the face.
His
machine-like, repeating golf swing gets him on the greens
so he can use that long putter of his to bury those birdies.
If
you are not happy with your game and are looking for a new direction
this season and beyond, I would like the opportunity to help
you by showing you the rest of my swing technique. You've seen
my
unique
approach
to the takeaway, I am convinced you will benefit tremendously
from the rest of my swing instruction.
My
Story - From the 100's to the 70's after a lengthy,
bitter struggle with this great game.
Every
time "The
Key To A Repeating Golf Swing" manual
is updated with new chapters, images, or
video, I receive an avalanche of emails from
current customers requesting a free update
to the Newest Edition. To date, they have
had to pay for the new edition (currently
the 7th edition).
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